


Poison Rain

by Caisa



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 12:57:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9608513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caisa/pseuds/Caisa
Summary: Padmè Amidala isn't dead. She survived the day of the Empire and lives now in the palace of Alderaan, disguised as governess. But Vader finds out about her and seven years after Mustafar the old lovers meet again.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome to my first big project here on AO3!
> 
> The idea of Padmé surviving Mustafar stuck in my head for years now and I just had to write about it. I hope you enjoy, and as always, please tell me if you find grammar or spelling mistakes I still found no english beta-reader :(
> 
> Love,  
> Caisa

**Chapter One**

 

Padmè Amidala Naberrie leaned on the railing and looked down to the busy city below the palace of Alderaan. The sky shimmered in a deep orange and the clouds seemed to glow. She loved the peace of the sunset behind the mountains.

“Lysa? Lysa!” The voice of the young princess of Alderaan echoed through the wide corridor and Padmè turned to her.

“My princess?”

Leia Organa wrapped her arms around her belly and Padmès heart felt heavy for a moment. “Father says, I am done. I managed the whole day with the council and I didn’t complain even _once.”_

Padmè fondled Leia’s hair which was dark brown and curly. _Just like mine._ Even with blonde colored hair and the blue contacts her daughter looked so similar to herself, that Padmè sometimes wondered how anyone could overlook the truth.  
“I am so proud of you, my princess”, she said lovingly. “I know one day you’ll be a queen as good as your mother is.”

“First I’ll be senator as my dad”, Leia answered back. “Actually I think this is a position with much more power.” For her young age –she was nearly seven years old- she had a very good understanding of diplomacy and politics. She never ought to know who her real parents where, but Padmè couldn’t help to see herself in every word the little girl said. _Except her strong temperament. I was a calm child, and she is always loud and demanding._ She knew too well where that trait came from.

Leia dragged Padmè with her, still chatting about her day with the government. “And then that guy from Tatooine came _again_ to ask dad to speak for him … You know, the anti-hutt-movement …” The mention of the desert planet felt like a stitch. She didn’t talk to Obi-Wan for too long but the Jedi was careful and rarely searched contact with her. _“It’s too dangerous”,_ he said. _“What has an Alderaanian employee to do with an old eremite from a forsaken planet like Tatooine?”_

After she gave birth to her son Luke she had only seen him twice, the last time two years ago. Obi-Wan wouldn’t allow her to come and his reports where more than imprecise. _He is a Jedi, not a father, and he lives far away from Luke._ Anakin’s step-brother didn’t like Jedi and especially not one that could bring doom over his entire family.

Leia led Padmè to her playroom. It was big and colorful and full of toys and stuffed animals.

“What do you want to show me, your highness?”, she asked, still a little absent.

“You know, Master Morum told me about the Jedi and the old republic …”, the girl explained.

Master Morum was Leias teacher. “What did he teach you?”, Padmè asked concerned. In the official version all Jedi where traitors and the republic was a weak institution, helpless against threats from outside. _Wrong, wrong, wrong._

“I know they say, they where evil, but they protected the galaxy for thousands of years, didn’t they?” Leia didn’t wait for an answer. “So I made this!”

She knelt down next to a little scenery of figures which where set up around the tiny model of a star destroyer. “I don’t think the empire is better than a republic. They do things, which are unfair and the senate can do nothing about it! So the Jedi fight. They will return and protect us, look!”

Padmè closed her eyes. _Oh no, Bail, what did you think?_ Her old friend would better have taught her daughter conformity. _She is too wise for her age. This will do her no good._ In earlier days Padmè would have wished for a daughter that could think herself and fight for what she believed in. _But the time changed and so did I._

Darth Vader looked upon the skeleton of the unfinished death star. He had his hands crossed behind his back and observed, how it got bigger and bigger while the star destroyer came closer. He would supervise the construction for the next weeks, until the gravitation problem was solved. The completion of the space station was delayed for months _again_ because the isolation- material for the core reactor behaved unexpected towards the attraction of the nearby moon.

“Lord Vader? We are close enough now”, one captain reported with a salute.

Vader nodded. “Give me seven TIE-Fighters. I will fly a Lambda-Fairy.”

“Shall I inform Grand Moff Tarkin on your arrival?”

“No.” _It will make a better impact if it is unexpected._

The man saluted again, rushed towards the bridge and shouted a few orders while Vader left the bridge and walked down the corridor that let to the hangar.

He had to send the hand of the emperor, who by now sojourned in the basement on the moon to Alderaan to keep an eye on Bail Organa – Vader didn’t trust the senator’s loyalty towards the empire.

A low-rank- commander awaited him already. “We manned the TIE-Fighters and the fairy, my Lord.” He licked his lip nervously.

“That’s what I expected”, Vader commented dryly and the commander winced. “Yeah, of course, Sir, I am sorry.” He licked his lip again and Vader grimaced disdainfully under his mask. Cowards where everywhere around him and men who allowed fear to control their behavior had already lost.

 

He greeted Tarkin and Director Krennic down on the moon basement. Tarkin was polite but Vader felt his bad mood- he was a man who rather worked on his own. Both had a lot of excuses for the problems which where only the newest in a long series of delays and unexpectancies. When the work started, Tarkin had estimated the construction time on five years, but now, six years later, they where still far away from even getting close to the finish. “Now that I have recruited Galen Erso, it will be much faster. He already worked on the original plans”, Krennic assured him. _An ambitious man. He could be useful in the future._

“I hope you will work a little bit faster in the future, Director”, Vader replied harshly. “I have no time to deal with every single step you take.”

Grand Moff Tarkin saluted. “Of course, Lord Vader.”

“Director, am I right that Francine Vanli still lives here?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“I want to see her. After that I will return to the Executor to report back to the emperor.”

 

 

 

It made Padmè sad to watch her daughter entering the dining room without her. Bail had offered her a higher rank, which would allow her to take part in all those formalities, but Padmè didn’t want to risk that. She was sure that the Organas where under observation.

 _And if Vader found out that I am still alive …_ She shivered. The look in his cold blue eyes still followed her into her nightmares.

She was so sentimental today, but tomorrow would be the seventh day of the empire, the seventh birthday of her children. _They came more than one month too early, probably because of the internal injuries …_

 _No._ _Stop thinking about that,_ she admonished herself. _You won’t cange the past, no matter how often you think about it._

That night, she was back on Polis Massa. Far away from Anakin, but she could still feel the pressure on her throat. Every breath felt like she was inhaling fire and her skin was covered in cold sweat.

“From a medical point of view she is well”, she heard the droid tell Obi-Wan. And also: “For reasons we can’t explain … We are losing her.”

 _No,_ she wanted to scream. _No it hurts so bad it feels like fire I am not well I can’t breath, please, make it stop …_ The droid told Obi-Wan, that she was about to give birth to twins. _Twins? Oh no …_ She never dared to go to a healer, afraid that queen Camilla could release her out of service before the war was over. Then: _It is too early, more than one and a half month, my babies will die and I will die too …_

Then the scenery changed and she found herself in a mass of people, her face veiled while she attended her own funeral. She floated in the air and looked down into the hearse, saw her very own face so pale, so dead … _It’s just a wax figure,_ something deep inside her flustered. A pregnant wax figure, hands crossed over the swollen stomach.

She awoke in a sea of sweat, the moon still shining trough the high window. _Just a dream,_ she thought. _It was just a dream._ But it was not. It happened, only seven years ago. _Leia doesn’t even know, that it is her birthday,_ she thought sadly and her hand wandered to her belly. Bail and Breha had made her a few months older to avoid questions.

 _My little girl. And my boy._ She had to celebrate the birthday of her children alone.

 

 

“She is on her way to Alderaan, my apprentice?”, the Emperor asked.

“Yes, Master.” Vaders voice sounded deep and synthetic in comparison to Palpatine’s croaking. He knelt on the floor of the empty conference room, one arm shored on his leg, his head lowered. The Emperor could feel challenged by even the slightest sign of disrespect.

“Very well.” Palpatine nodded. “When do you think will the new station be operational?”

“Grand Moff Tarkin estimated five more years.”

“That is not what you think.” Palpatine eyed him.

“No, my Master”, Vader admitted. “This mistake won’t be the last. Many things can just be done by try and error, we have no records about an equally ambitious project in the last two thousand years.”

“What is your estimation?”

“It will be at least a decade.”

The emperor nodded again. A dark hood covered his face. _A pity._ Vader served him six years and he knew nearly nothing about Darth Sidious. _Even though I once thought I did._ The cynical smile hurt in his burnt face, but Vader was used to the pain.

“I allow you to leave”, decided his Master. “I await your report on the building progress.”

“Yes, my Master.” The hologram disappeared and Vader got up. His time would come.

 

 

 

“I am glad to meet you, Miss Aevan”, Padmè welcomed the new women friendly. She flicked through the application and smiled. “Oh, you where born in Theed?”

“Yes, Mylady.” The new was around Padmès Age, her hair was auburn red and she had dark blue eyes.

“Lysa, please. I am of Nabooian decent myself”, she told her – she and Breha had decided that more truth would make the lie more believable years ago.

“So call me Francine, please.” The women smiled shyly. “Where in Naboo do you come from?”

“Kaadara. Did you ever visit it? It is beautiful, so near the coast …” They chatted on. Padmè decided, that she liked Francine. She spoke basic with the melodic dialect that was characteristic to most Naboo- Native-speakers and she knew even a few words Gungan.

Padmè introduced the young women to her new job as servant in the royal chambers - due to the information in the application she was well trained and experienced in that field and one of the old servants had just left because of his age. She tried to hurry up now because she had an appointment with Obi-Wan who two days ago _finally_ agreed to talk to her again.

They met Leia in her playroom – thankfully she had removed the Jedi-scenery days ago – and Padmè greeted her happily. Due to the day of the empire a week ago the princess was very busy with all the ambassadors and parades and she followed Bail to every single appointment, so she had rarely seen her.

“Your highness.” Francine sunk in a formal curtsy.

“My Princess, this is Francine, the new servant. You know, because Lucan left us.”

“Oh yes.” Leia grinned. “Hi, Francine.” She could be very engaging, if she wanted to.

Padmè left the young women with the elder servant Cary to introduce her further into her work and hurried to her own room. _Puh, just in time._

She had an own holoprojector, which she now turned on. Only a few minutes later Obi-Wan appeared in the typical blue, flickering way.

He wore an old robe and she was shocked to see that light strings shimmered in his dark hair. The Jedi had always been a serious man – except for the never ending supply of one-line-jokes – but the deep wrinkles on his face let him look ten years older than he was. Padmè realized that it was nearly a year since she had seen him the last time. _And with every year he ages a decade._

“Lysa”, he greeted her with a tired voice.

“Ben”, she answered with his assumed name. “How is Luke?”

“Oh, he is good. Blond hair, shiny blue eyes and always loud. I feel like I was a twenty-five year old padawan again.” He smiled sadly.

Padmè thought back to the Naboo-crisis and the time they spent on Tatooine. “ _Are you an angel?”_ where the first words Anakin ever said to her, a wild but so warm-hearted child. _Maybe those words are what made me fall in love with him then years later,_ she thought cynically. These very words made her overlook the angry, young man in his twenties all those years ago. _I could only see his smile, not the anger in his eyes._

“Owen tries to protect him”, Obi-Wan went on. “But if he is a little bit like his father this will never be enough to him.”

Padmé sighed. “What about … you know what?”, she barely dared to ask, but she had to know.

“It grows stronger.” Die Jedi shook his head. “I think he already uses it unconsciously. He needs somebody to train him, but Owen won’t allow me to get even _near_ the boy.”

“I can understand him”, Padmè said absently. _He is strong with the Force. Of course he is. How could he not?_

“What about Leia?”, he asked gently.

“I don’t know. Not in an obvious way at least.” She frowned. “Or maybe she is just better in control of herself. Please, can you tell me more?” Her heart was hungry for every word.

“I saw him fly his uncles speeder a few weeks ago. Another little pilot I guess.” Padmè couldn`t help herself but smile. “Maybe he can be the little boy Anakin was meant to be.”

A shadow sank over Obi-Wans face. “Yes. Maybe.”

 

 

 

“Why did you have to restart this phase?”, Vader asked coldly. The officer in front of him looked as if he was near a breakdown.

“It is like … I fear, the plans contained a mistake, Mylord …” Captain Rook had to supervise the casing of the station, but something went wrong and the removal and reapplication of a thousand tons of material would cost the empire months and many credits.

“A few … cable chutes and ventilation shafts where planned to small …”, he babbled on.

“And?”

The man whipped his forehead. “Mylord?”

“What did you do to correct this?”

“The plans have been rewritten and we … We’re gonna catch up to the timetable. I will take care that we do.”

“Who planned the casing?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure, Sir.”

“You’re lying. You remember, and so do I.” He lifted his hand and Rook sank down, hand at his throat. “You where responsible from the beginning”, he told the corpse. “A lie, and a bad one.” He turned around to the men at the bridge who had observed the scene.

“Lieutenant Veers!”

The man saluted. “Yes, Mylord?”

“You where involved in the work of this man, right?”  
“Right, Sir.”

“Your troops await you. I want the C-sector to be renewed by the end of the year, _Commander._ ”

“Thank you, Mylord.”

Vader nodded shortly, then he left the bridge and rushed to his own rooms. He had to report to the Emperor.

 

 

 

“Luke? Luke! Where are you going again?” The voice of uncle Owen echoed over the field.

The blond boy winced. “I am coming!”, he shouted back.

He stuffed the speeder he was building under the plans and ran to the house. “I am sorry, uncle”, he apologized, gasping for air.

Owen stroked his hair. “It’s fine, Luke. Come on, your aunt made dinner.”

Luke jumped down the stairs into the wide manhole, which contained the entrances to the different rooms and sheds as well as all the machines and droids the farm required. He rushed into the kitchen and shouted: “Aunt Beru!”

She turned around and threatened him jokingly with the wooden spoon. “Where have you been again, boy?”

“We fought the empire”, the seven-years old explained proudly. “Me and Biggs, you know.”

His aunt laughed. “So, that makes hungry for sure. I made stew.”

“Oh, not again.” Luke grimaced.

“Soldiers eat that every day”, she told him. “You have to get used to that if you want to fight the empire.”

“Really?”

“Oh, please Beru, don’t strengthen him anymore”, Owen sighed, entering the kitchen.

“I will be a great worrier!”, Luke claimed and Beru smiled lovingly. “Let him dream, Owen. Reality will come soon enough.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 

The emperor cackled. Vader scrutinized the shimmering silhouette trough the lenses of his mask. He knew that Palpatine liked playing games on him, but it made him really angry, especially in a tensed situation. A few moments passed in silence, before he gave up. “What news?”

The emperor answered with a smile that one who didn’t know him might find fatherly. Maybe that’s how it was once, in another life. Vader couldn’t remember.

“I don’t know if you are ready for this, Lord Vader.”

The Sith-Lord sighed. He wasn’t patient enough for games like that. “I am sure I can carry any knowledge that you may have found, my Master.”

The old man grinned under his hood. “I am not so sure, my apprentice. Maybe later.” The projection turned off and Vader stood up. He was slightly annoyed, but not enough to do anything imprudent. Palpatine had tested him earlier in similar ways.

 

 

 

Padmè leaned her head against the bed pillar and reflected.

Luke had the force.

 _Well, maybe that was inevitable._ His father had been so strong, so natural with all his powers. It would be a lie to herself to hope, that Leia had been spared by this curse. But still … She never actually _did_ anything special. Anakin was barely able to hide his powers, back, when he was a child. Everybody in Mos Eisley knew that he was special. Of course he would never have tried making a secret out of his abilities. Anakin ran through the world, showing off himself. _Maybe Leia is just cleverer than that. More under control._ But if that was true … What would it say about Luke?

She didn’t want any of her children in the war against the empire. It was too dangerous … _And they would be fighting their father without even knowing it._ A ball of fear clenched in her stomach. One day she would have to tell them. Tell them that their father was that personification of evil that their foster-parents taught them to fear their whole life. _Not now. When they are older. When it is less dangerous._

She couldn’t even imagine what would happen if Vader found out that his children were alive. Sometimes she wished, Obi-Wan had never told her what happened to him. _That he left him burning in the lava and he somehow survived, locked into black armor, not even able to breathe alone, if the rumours are true._ She shivered. _That’s not my Anakin_ , she reminded herself. _We’re both not the same anymore._

Padmè sat up and straightened her hair. She had to see her daughter now. Feeling the thin body in her arms was sometimes the only thing that could calm her down. _My little baby._ Not Bails, not Brehas, even though Padmè was thankful for what they did. _One day she will know._

“How where your lessons today?”, she asked the little princess, who just arrived at the playroom the same time as she did herself.

Leia grimaced. “No lessons today”, she said grumpy. “There was this new empire-guy. An admiral or something, I don’t know. He was _really_ rude with father and they sent me out, but I am sure they spoke about something problematic. I had to sit around with mother to welcome his dumb crew”, she complained. “The day of the empire was only like two weeks ago, that means enough diplomats for one year.”

Padmé’s stomach hurt again. She had a really, really bad feeling about this, even though she couldn’t tell why. Bail Organa was under strong surveillance because he belonged to the delegation of two thousand back than, at the end of the war, just as Padmè did herself, but they didn’t come to Alderaan normally. Bail was on Coruscant for most of the time and only visited his home planet for a few days every standard-month and of course during the big holidays around the day of the empire. Breha and her state didn’t interest the empire, the governor of the sector was here once a year or so, but Alderaan paid it’s taxes and due to a fact that it was a pacifist planet no one did actually care what they did. _So why all this trouble? Why a formal visit?_

“Lysa!”, the princess demanded her attention. “Are you well? It’s not _that_ bad.” She grinned. “Will you play a party Naboo-chess with me?”

“Of course.” Padmè pushed the sorrows away and smiled. “I’d love that.”

 

 

 

Vader read through the plans he created for a new TIE-Model, trying to calm himself down. He didn’t engage into emotion, not anymore, but something told him, that this time it was different. The Force felt strange, troubled and twisted.

The fact that the Emperor managed to unsettle him _again_ was probably the thing that annoyed him most, but still … Something was going to happen, and it was going to happen _soon._ He had had a Force vision last night, but it hadn’t been clear and obvious as it should be. It was more like a nightmarish feeling, a feeling of burning and pain, but this pain was part of his daily life and his nightmares used to be more abstract than that. The most important thing about the vision was the _feeling_ over all of it. Not hate, or anger or even the usual boredom. It was more like a deep _sadness._ When he lost Padmè years ago, he was so full of anger against everyone that it took him through all his physical suffering. He was not _sad_.

That worried him. He was sure the vision was about himself, and it was warning him. It was warning him against that sadness.

Now he didn’t get rid of the feeling that Palpatine’s mysterious news had something to do with that.

While Vader browsed through the plans, barely getting anything, he thought about all the events in the last weeks. The new delay of the death star- nothing special about that probably. The Emperor’s hand who was stationed on Alderaan. Maybe it had to do with the rebellion? It wouldn’t be a surprise if Bail Organa was somehow involved there. He was the leader of the opposition in the senate. _Didn’t Grandmoff Tarkin also visit Terrarium City?_ Pretty much effort for a such a small, pacifist planet.

Or maybe all that wasn’t about anything at all and Palpatine was again just playing games for the fun of it.

Vader had enough. He closed the plans and rushed out of the Hangar, heading towards the bridge. So he was seriously intending to hack into the Emperor’s Information system again. _How childish._

But he had never been good in waiting for his visions to happen. The Jedi had to learn this lesson the hard way.

He entered the commando-section and ordered a datapad from a timid-looking corporal. His fingers flew over the screen, accessing him over the holonet to the private systems of Palpatine. He had done this earlier twice in similar situations. One time the Emperor found out and was really furious but Vader trusted in his abilities- as well technically spoken as in the Force.

Vader fed the engine with the term _Alderaan_ and it took him no more than to minutes to find the newest report of the hand.

 

 

 

Luke glanced at his aunt before turning back to Owen. “Please, uncle. You _promised_ to help me.” He stamped his food. “It is _not fair._ ”

Owen sighed. “I know Luke. I help you later, alright? You know we’re in the middle of the harvest, I have no time for your speeder.”

Luke looked back to his aunt. “Beru, he promised”, he shouted. “Tell him he has to _keep_ his promises!” She smiled and looked to Owen. “Just one hour”, she suggested. “It is getting dark anyway.” Owen gave up. “Fine. One hour.”

Luke grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the pit towards the shed in which he kept the half-finished engine. “You know, I have this problem with the casing-material and I just _don’t know_ what to do about it, so … Oh, who is that?”

One lonely silhouette, dark in the light of the setting suns, walked over the dunes, maybe in the direction of the farm.

“That’s not a Tusken, is it?”, he asked his uncle nervously. People walking around this time in the desert happened almost never.

Owen shed his eyes with his hand. “No, he’s alone. Tusken come always in packs. This is …” He shook his head. “Oh no. It is Ben Kenobi.”

“The old eremite?”

Owen smiled sadly. “I’d not say that he is _old.”_

“He’s got white hair!”

“Yeah”, he answered pensively. “That’s right. Look, Luke, I am sorry, I really am, but I fear I have to talk to Kenobi.”

“But you _promised_!” Luke got angry. It happened every time; In a moment of friendliness Owen told and told him _anything,_ but when he went back to normal-being-grumpy he had forgotten all of it.

“I’ll come, if I am done here.” His voice made clear that there was no objection now. “Go.”

Luke sunk his head and turned back to the pit.

 

 

 

“Lysa.” Padmé turned around and cracked a smile. “Bail. What’s up?”

The senator’s face was serious. “I need to talk you about Leia.”

She frowned. “She told me about the man from the empire.”

Bail nodded. “Yes, that’s the problem. It was Grand-moff Tarkin.”

“ _Tarkin_?” Padmè was shocked. She knew him back from her days in the senate. A cold, ambitious man, rumour had it one of the emperors minions now. “What did he want? What does it have to do with Leia? Bail, _could he know?_ ”

“I hope not. But he expressed his interest in her development, officially to bind Alderaan closer to the empire. He brought a crew of _highly qualified_ teachers to _support_ us with her education. I had no choice but to give my consent.” On the surface he seemed calm, but Padmè knew him better. His eyes reflected his anger.

 _Oh no, oh no, oh no._ If he knew, what if he knew? What if the man that Anakin had become would take her daughter from her? Or her little son? _He still wouldn’t be a good father if he didn’t turn,_ a bitter voice whispered in her head.

“Lysa? Lysa, I know. I am so sorry.” He laid his hand on hers and tried to smile. “You know, we have to be extra careful. If they suspect _anything_ …”

“Yes, yes. I know.” Padmè sighed. “Maybe if we give them no more evidence … Bail, I have to go.” She looked him in the eyes. “ _I_ am the ultimate proof. If they find my identity … I knew Wilhuf Tarkin, and a whole lot of other people who work for the empire now. We can not risk anyone recognizing me.”

Bail hesitated. “I don’t like it, but I think you’re right. With imperial agents in the palace you aren’t safe here anymore. But we have to do this carefully, no attention shall be on this. First we need a replacement for you and a safe place, maybe in one of the smaller towns …” He paused. “Give me three days. Be careful not to bring attention on you until everything is safe.” He stood up.

Padmé nodded sadly. “Right. I’ll see you then.”

He gave her another sad smile. “Yes. I’m so sorry.”

 

 

Vader browsed through the collected information on the data-pad. Mostly unimportant details, things the queen and the senator said or did, typical oppositional activities in the senate, a few pages about their daughter … He stopped. Something tickled his mind, a sense of importance… Who would write so much about a young girl? She was obviously under imperial surveillance.

He read on, more carefully now. Seven years old, born one day after the day of the empire ... no, that couldn’t be. It was impossible. Anger against himself arose in him. _Don’t be weak. Never again._ Millions of children were born around that time.

He decided that the emperor was trying to test him again and just intended to close the files when his glance fell at the picture of the princesses’ governess.

 

 

Francine Eren sung quietly while carrying the dishes back to the kitchen. She just sent the profiles of the high-ranked employees to the emperor. The red-haired women was especially interested in the close relation between the governess Lysa Elaysie and the princess, as the empreror commanded, even though there were no hints to any further connection between the two.

Francine suspected that their similarities were caused by the strong influence Lysa had over the girl due to the fact that Leia’s parents were important and busy persons. Other employees had also told her that Lysa began her work only ours after Leia Organas birth, given by a dead cousin of Queen Breha. Everything she heard fit the official version, from the adoption up to the small acts of subversion other agents had already discovered. It was nothing very bad, only some glorifying stories about the Jedi and the dead republic. If the empire would arrest everyone who romanticised the old days there would be nothing left to govern, even though it made Francine somehow sad. Some people were just unable to appreciate the new order and era of peace that Lord Sidious had brought. She heard Leia talking about the _Hero with no fear_ and the _negotiator,_ the old heroes of the Clone Wars, more than once.

 

 

Vader laid the data-pad back on the table, slowly, carefully. He felt all the officers eyes on his armor. “Captain Veers?” His voice was as monotone as always.

“Yes, Lord Vader?”

“Get the ship ready for the hyper space jump.” The volume of his breath filled the whole bridge. “Our destination is Alderaan.”

 


End file.
